How The Metaverse Could Enable The Transition To Post-Pandemic Work

by Review Metaverse

Founding member of V3iT, focusing on IT-related to SAP’s, Microsoft’s and Oracle’s suite of products using IT as a utility service model.

In the tech space, we have been fascinated by cloud, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and blockchain technologies for some time, but a lot happened while the world battled the pandemic over the last eighteen-plus months. The adoption of these technologies happened quicker than we could have possibly anticipated, as they helped us counter the challenges of the crisis.

I was excited to see this accelerated transformation as someone who has worked with enterprise software for more than 25 years in over 100 global implementations from everywhere from Fortune 500 companies to the state, local and federal governments. Now, as we begin to buzz about the technologies of the future — the Metaverse, NFTs, Web 3.0, Quantum Computing, 6G — it will be fascinating to find out if they can reach the large-scale adoption of these current technologies.

The Metaverse And Web 3.0

The “metaverse” was first coined in the science fiction novel Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. The idea is to create a virtual space to bridge the real and digital worlds to enhance the experience of both. Already, technologists are teasing how the metaverse could change everything we do from playing games to shopping to attending concerts to performing surgery.

One of the most compelling examples of the metaverse is known as Web 3.0, or the 3-D Web. Along with the advances in extended reality (XR) — which blends augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality to create a host of digital and physical experiences — this innovation enables the creation of digital twins, for example, to create spatial views of cities, buildings, convention centers, homes, etc., for efficient planning and better design execution.

A lot of this is already somewhat in use. Real estate and architecture firms offered virtual views during the pandemic with surging sales in that market, thanks to metaverse firms like Matterport and VPIX360. The government and technology sector has also converged in interesting ways to “make Smart Cities even smarter.”

With these kinds of Web 3.0 technologies, the metaverse could change how people return to work from the pandemic. Some will continue their professional journeys online. Some will be returning to work on-site. The metaverse could combine these journeys for a fully immersive experience. Imagine visiting Toon Town from Who Framed Roger Rabbit or having a real-life experience like Michael Jordan’s in Space Jam. With the metaverse, that could be a reality.

How To Join Web 3.0

Tech companies looking to get started with a Web 3.0 journey need to become fully educated on several technology topics. It’s a complex subject that has recently been tying in with several other technologies, so it’s important to have a strong understanding of these three areas, among others:

Javascript

For tech companies looking to participate in the Web 3.0 space, the first step is to polish the JavaScript language skills in your organization. The framework behind Web 3.0 is .js (web3.js, node.js, angular.js, react.js), and platforms like Solidity, Multichain and Hyperledger are all JavaScript-like and great introductions.

Decentralized Apps

Building decentralized apps will be the call of the time. Along with this JavaScript framework, you should also learn about blockchain, smart contracts, interfacing with the blockchain/smart contracts. Decentralized app-building has seen a lot of overlap with 3-D technology, could help us build the metaverse as many decentralized apps can concurrently converge with Web 3.0.

There are several other examples of the deployment of Web 3.0. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs), for example, represent real-life objects such as art, music, collectibles, videos and much more. They can neither be replaced nor interchanged because of their unique properties, similarly to cryptocurrencies, but NFTs cannot be exchanged like cryptocurrencies. Because of their immutability, NFTs could help eliminate privacy concerns on the web.

Quantum Computing

Quantum computing is in its infancy but could help accelerate Web 3.0 and the metaverse as a whole.

Present-day computers outsmart humans on a logical, “left-brain” level, but they lack “right-brain” functionality such as sensory input, emotion, empathy, intuition and other “pseudo-scientific” abilities humans may have. Quantum computing helps computers adopt those skills.

To understand quantum computing’s importance for Web 3.0, a simple example is the merge function when driving. Have you seen how a self-driving car of today struggles with merging? The reason is it can’t anticipate other cars’ intentions when merging. The digital representations made possible by Web 3.0 could remove that uncomfortable bump and smooth the travel to make it possible for self-driving cars to behave more similarly to humans.

Business leaders today already use cloud computing to the fullest use. Most public clouds provide cloud computing rentals for quantum computing in some form or another. Start putting those to use and lead; otherwise, you’ll be falling behind and waiting for the disruption to lead you into obsolescence.

The convergence of these technologies could soon be known as the Industrial Revolution 5.0. It could redefine our culture, society and economy. We are about to enter an era where individuals will regain control, disrupt the control that Big Tech and the government have over information, and, perhaps, give us the truest sense of freedom.

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